Ran Carthon on Derrick Henry: We’ll be well positioned to do whatever we need to do

At the end of the season, running back Derrick Henry seemed to be saying goodbye to Tennessee when he told Titans fans, "thank you for the greatest eight years of my life."

But there's still a chance Henry may play his home games in Nashville in 2024.

"Derrick and I had a good conversation on the way out," Titans General Manager Ran Carthon said during his Tuesday press conference at the scouting combine. "He knows where we are and we know where he is. I think you guys that have been around a year, we don’t really talk about players’ contract status in public. But we’ll be well positioned to do whatever we need to do. However, when those conversations need to be had, we’ll have them with Derrick and his team."

The Titans picked Henry at No. 45 overall back in 2016 and he blossomed into one of the league's most dominant running backs. He twice led the league in rushing, making it to 2,027 yards in 2020. He once again led the league in carries this year with 280, though he finished with 1,167 yards.

That brings a sentimental aspect to the situation, which Carthon acknowledged on Tuesday.

"I hear that question around town. People will come and the first thing they’ll say is, ‘Hey, we're not going to lose Derrick, are we?’ I think I probably in my 12 months on this job have gotten more Derrick Henry questions than anything,” Carthon said. “So, I understand that piece of it, too.

“But I have a responsibility to build this team long-term. And we’ll cross that bridge with Derrick and his team when we get there.”

In 119 career games with Tennessee, Henry has rushed for 9,502 yards with 90 touchdowns and caught 155 passes for 1,458 yards with three TDs.